Roof construction

ABSTRACT

A roof structure comprises an assembly of sheet metal panels secured to a rafter by securing means extending through the panels, and has a waterproof panel joint in which the adjacent marginal edges of a pair of panels are folded back to overlie the securing means. The pair of panels thus provide a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, and these fold edges are shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions interleaved with the folded marginal edge of the panels and retained thereby. The panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, and the marginal edge portions of the cap provide a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.

United States Patent 1 1 Herman 1 Oct. 2, 1973 ROOF CONSTRUCTION [22] Filed: June 16, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 263,515

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 24, 1971 Canada H6521 [52] US. Cl. 52/465, 52/520 [51] lnt. CL... E04d 3/366, E04d 3/40 [58] Field of Search 52/465, 32, 57, 470, 52/493, 5l9, 520, 545,549

[56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 612,024 10/1898 Drake 52/465 X 615,449 12/1898 l-lagerty 52/520 X 1,182,197 5/1916 Murphy 52/465 X 1,669,690 S/l928 Brandl 52/520 1,963,583 6/1934 .lenkins.... 52/520 2,231,065 2/1941 Gabel 52/82 3,107,454 10/1963 Voegeli .L 52/470 X 3,381,426 5/l968 Heidrich .f. 52/57 x Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr.

Att0rney-S. Delvalle Goldsmith et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A roof structure comprises an assembly of sheet metal panels secured to a rafter by securing means extending through the panels, and has a waterproof panel joint in which the adjacent marginal edges of a pair of panels are folded back to overlie the securing means. The pair of panels thus provide a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, and these fold edges are shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions interleaved with the folded marginal edge of the panels and retained thereby. The panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, and the marginal edge portions of the cap provide a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.

PATENTEDUBT "2 1 3.762.121

' SHEET 2 [1F 3 ROOF CONSTRUCTION Despite the convenience and cheapness of this form of roofing, it is generally unsatisfactory because of leakage at the edges of the panels, and because the roofing nails rust with the results that the panels secured by them become loose. Alternative sheet metal roofing is presently available, but its cost is prohibitive for many applications where it could be used.

The present invention provides a relatively inexpensive sheet metal roofing in which the more serious disadvantages of presently available corrugated roofing are overcome.

According to the invention there is provided, in a roof structure comprising an assembly of sheet metal panels secured to rafters by securing means, such as roofing nails, extending through the panels, a weatherproof panel joint in which the adjacent marginal edges of a pair of panels are folded back to overlie the securing means, the pair of panels thus providing a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, in which the adjacent fold edges are shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions, which are interleaved with the folded marginal edgesof the panels and retained thereby, and in which the panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, the marginal edge portions of the cap providing a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a roof structure in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a detail of a joint at the longitudinal edges of a pair of adjacent panels;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of a detail of a structure employing corrugated sheet metal panels;

FIG. 6 illustrates the manner in which a weatherproof joint is formed at the roof peak; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the finished roof peak.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 there is illustrated a roof structure comprising an assembly of rectangular sheet metal panels 10, which are nailed to the rafters ll of a roof frame by roofing nails 12, which extend through the panels. FIG. 1 shows the panels 10 to be arranged in a staggered array, but they need not be so; indeed a single panel may cover the space between each pair of rafters. i

The rafters ll in'the illustrated embodiment project above the general plane of the roofing defined by the panels, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each panel has a generally fiat covering portion (FIG. 2) which lies in the plane of the roofing and extends longitudinally from one rafter to the next, the covering portion 100 being bounded by a pair of parallel upstanding wall portions 10b, which define steps. The wall portions 10b conform to the cross-sectional shape of the rafters and are folded over the upper surfaces of the rafters to provide securing portions 10c, the securing portions 10c being secured to the rafters 11 by the nails 12. The adjacent marginal edges 10d of each pair of panels are folded back to overlie the heads of the nails 12. Thus, the pair of panels provide a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges 13.

The fold edges 13 are shrouded by a sheet metal cap 14 which is designed to prevent leakage of the panel joint. The cap 14 has a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions 15, constituting a pair of inwardly directed lips, which are interleaved with the folded marginal edges 10d of the panels 10 so as to be retained thereby. The caps 14 thus form leakproof shrouds or covers for the lateral marginal edges of the panels, and for the securing nails 12. It will be noted that the edge portions of the caps are folded so as to form a pair of fold edges 16, which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps 10b of the panels.

The structure of the longitudinal joints 17 between adjacent panels 10 of the illustrated embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4. As illustrated in this Figure, the ad jacent longitudinal marginal edges 18a, 18b of the adjacent panels 10', 10" are folded back and interleaved so as to form a downwardly facing step 19, that is to say a step formed by a fold edge of the upper panel 10 which faces the lower panel 10''.

Instead of there being a plurality of panels between adjacent rafters as shown in FIG. 1, there may be a single corrugated panel of the form shown in FIG. 5, the corrugations 20 of which extend parallel to the rafters 11. In other respects this alternative construction is similar to the construction illustrated in FIG. 2, and the same reference numerals are used to denote corresponding parts. I

FIGS. 6and 7 illustrate how a weatherproof joint is formed at the ridge of the roof. A pair of beams 21 are nailed to the rafters 11 to form a longitudinal ridge of A-section. To each of the beams are nailed a plurality of panels 22, each panel 22 extending for the distance between a pair of rafters. Each panel 22 has a flange portion 23 which fits round the lower edge of the respective beam 21, and a marginal edge portion 24 which is folded back so as to overlie the nails 25 by which the panel is nailed to the beam. Finally, a cap 26 extending for the full length of the ridge is formed with a pair of inwardly directed marginal edge portions which are interleaved with, and retained by, the marginal edge portions 24 of the panels 22. In the event that a number of panels 22 are required to form the full length of the ridge of the roof, the individual panels may be joined longitudinally by the same general arrangement of folding and interleaving as has been illustrated at 18a, 18b and 19 in FIG. 4.

It is clear that the foregoing represents a distinct advance in the art of roof construction which could prove of decided benefit to the public generally.

I Claim:

1. In a roof structure comprising an assembly of sheet metal panels secured to a rafter by securing means extending through the panels, a weatherproof panel joint in which the adjacent marginal edges of a pair of panels are folded back to overlie the securing means, the pair of panels thus providing a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, in which the adjacent fold edges are shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions which are interleaved with the folded marginal edges of the panels and retained thereby, and in which the panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, the marginal edge portions of the cap providing a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.

2. A roof structure according to claim 1, wherein each panel provides a corrugated surface, the corrugations of which extend parallel to the rafters.

3. A roof structure comprising an array of rectangular sheet metal panels supported by a roof frame, each panel extending between a pair of adjacent rafters of the roof frame and being secured thereto by nails,

wherein the lateral marginal edges of the panels are folded back to overlie the nails, the adjacent marginal edges of each pair of panels thus providing a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, wherein each pair of adjacent fold edges is shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions which are interleaved with the folded marginal edges of the panels and retained thereby, and wherein the panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, the marginal edge portions of the cap providing a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.

4. A roof structure according to claim 3, including a plurality of panels between each pair of rafters, wherein the adjacent longitudinal marginal edges of the panels are folded back and interleaved so as to define a downwardly facing step. 

1. In a roof structure comprising an assembly of sheet metal panels secured to a rafter by securing means extending through the panels, a weatherproof panel joint in which the adjacent marginal edges of a pair of panels are folded back to overlie the securing means, the pair of panels thus providing a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, in which the adjacent fold edges are shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions which are interleaved with the folded marginal edges of the panels and retained thereby, and in which the panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, the marginal edge portions of the cap providing a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.
 2. A roof structure according to claim 1, wherein each panel provides a corrugated surface, the corrugations of which extend parallel to the rafters.
 3. A roof structure comprising an array of rectangular sheet metal panels supported by a roof frame, each panel extending between a pair of adjacent rafters of the roof frame and being secured thereto by nails, wherein the lateral marginal edges of the panels are folded back to overlie the nails, the adjacent marginal edges of each pair of panels thus providing a pair of generally parallel adjacent fold edges, wherein each pair of adjacent fold edges is shrouded by a sheet metal cap having a pair of retroflex marginal edge portions which are interleaved with the folded marginal edges of the panels and retained thereby, and wherein the panels are each stepped adjacent to their marginal edges to conform to the shape of the rafter to which they are secured, the marginal edge portions of the cap providing a pair of fold edges which project downwardly and outwardly from the tops of the steps formed by the panels.
 4. A roof structure according to claim 3, including a plurality of panels between each pair of rafters, wherein the adjacent longitudinal marginal edges of the panels are folded back and interleaved so as to define a downwardly facing step. 